Constructed by Eastern from Banjoewangie to Roebuck Bay (now Broome). Telegraph lines had been constructed from Perth to Broome so there was a direct telegraphic connecting to the south and then across the new wires to Adelaide and the Eastern States.

The Telegraph & Maintenance Company's S.S. Seine left London on 31 December 1888 with the Java to Western Australian cable. The cable is of the most improved design and is 970 nautical mies long. It was expected to be installed by the end of February 1889 (Ballarat Star 4 Jan 1889, p2).